10 Mr. A. Wanklyn on some new Fossil Ferns 



♦ 

 the coiled masses of the tentacles and polypites of Physalia, 

 isopod crustaceans from about half to three-quarters of an inch 

 in length, of a similar species to some I also occasionally ob- 

 tained adherent to the floats of Ianthina, or floating epiphytic 

 Lepadidaa of the open ocean. It is further deserving of notice 

 that both fishes and isopod crustaceans invariably presented 

 the brilliant blue markings visible on the tentacles and polypite 

 masses of Physalia — and, lastly, that, on placing specimens of 

 Physalia on a piece of cardboard immediately after capture, I 

 have seen a slow rolling movement of the pneumatophore con- 

 tinue to take place for upwards of an hour, and, indeed, until 

 its wall had actually shrivelled with the heat. The slow and 

 rolling nature of this action gave me the distinct impression, 

 at the time, that it was due to vital (probably muscular) con- 

 tractility, and not merely mechanical. 



III. — Description of some new Species of Fossil Ferns from 

 the Bournemouth Leaf-bed. By A. WANKLYN, B. A., Sidney 

 Sussex College, Cambridge. 



[Plate I.] 



In the spring of 1867, Admiral Sulivan was kind enough to 

 show me some specimens of ferns which he had obtained from 

 the Bournemouth leaf-bed. Since then I have endeavoured 

 to obtain sufficient data for the determination of these ferns. 

 This I have done with regard to the ferns most commonly 

 found, which I now propose to figure and describe. 



I also figure two other ferns, which differ from these, but of 

 which I have only been able to find the specimens from which 

 the drawings are made. 



Few patches of clay in this district are entirely without 

 traces of leaves ; their absence at any particular spot seems to 

 be due, not so much to a scarcity of leaves when the strata 

 were deposited as to the fact of the matrix having been un- 

 favourable to their preservation. 



The ferns, however, seem to be very local. I have only 

 heard of their being found at one place in this district ; and 

 there they occur in great abundance. In the section exposed 

 in 1867 there were two or three layers, each about an inch in 

 thickness, which consisted of dicotyledonous leaves and fronds 

 of ferns matted together. Beneath these there was usually a 

 thin stratum of sand a few lines in thickness. 



The state of preservation of the ferns varies with the nature 

 of the deposit. Where the matrix is sandy, the carbonaceous 

 matter has almost disappeared, and often only the cast of the 



